Category: Missions

Indian Jesuit priest Alexis Prem Kumar who was kidnapped in June 2014 in southern Afghanistan was released and reached New Delhi on Feb. 22 with the intervention of the Indian government. “Delighted at securing the release of Indian Jesuit priest Father Alexis Prem Kumar from captivity in Afghanistan,” tweeted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in…

A Colombia judge has ordered that American missionary to Colombia, Russell Stendal, be freed from jail. Stendal was arrested Wednesday and charged with suspected links to the Marxist narco-terror group, the Armed Revolutionary Forces of Colombia (FARC). But the judge ruled there was not sufficient evidence to prove allegations that the 59-year-old missionary had provided logistical support…

Neghmeh Abedini is praising God this week—not because her husband, persecuted American pastor Saeed, has been released from an Iranian prison—rather, because Saeed is experiencing the manifest presence of God. “Saeed’s father was able to see Saeed in prison today (behind a glass window). It was a wonderful time of fellowship and Saeed got to…

The Dilemma There is an interesting conversation going on right now in a lot of churches. Many people, and specifically people in leadership are asking, “How do we balance gospel proclamation and gospel demonstration?” Gospel proclamation is proclaiming the gospel clearly. People hear the truth of salvation through Jesus Christ and have the opportunity to…

While the world’s eyes were riveted to Syria and Iraq in 2014, life for Christians worsened even more profoundly in Africa, according to an annual report on religious freedom. The situation deteriorated most rapidly in sub-Saharan Africa, in countries where Islamic extremism is the main source of pressure upon Christians, according to the 2015 World…

American Bible Society, one of the first non-profits in the U.S., is relocating from New York City to Philadelphia after having sold its national headquarters for $300 million, the ministry has announced. The ministry, which has been based out of New York City for about 200 years, is relocating to the historic center of Philadelphia,…

Short-term “mission trips” are hugely popular among American Evangelicals. Usually these trips involve lay people visiting another part of the world with the aim of helping locals and introducing them to Christianity. But recently, these trips have received a lot of criticism from those on the left, who say that many trips amount to little…

For most of the past century, almost all (more than 90%) of Latin Americans were Catholics. But decades of attrition have resulted in a record 1 in 5 Latinos now identifying as Protestants. Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua lead the way, where Protestants constitute 4 in 10 residents of each nation. But Protestants in those 3 countries…

Christianity—both Catholic and Protestant—is dying out in Germany due to a dramatically shrinking number of Europeans professing faith in God, a fact exacerbated by a growth in non-white Muslim invaders, a survey of available figures have revealed. In the former East Germany, 52 percent of inhabitants said they did not believe in any God, and…

A conference for VOM front-line ministry workers in northern Nigeria was relocated this week amid concerns for the workers and their families. Violence by Islamic extremists, including several suicide bombs set off in nearby cities and a massive attack in Baga, Nigeria where nearly 2,000 were reported to have been killed, raised security concerns. The…

At least 10 people have been killed in violent protests in Niger over the weekend, after Muslim mobs burned down a number of churches in retaliation to French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo publishing cartoons depicting the Muslim prophet Muhammad. Christian missionaries in the capital, Niamey, told International Christian Concern that “all of [their] churches have been burned…

As a general principle, if we hear a criticism repeatedly, we should take it seriously, no matter how unfounded or painful it may initially seem. I had an opportunity to practice this principle when a thoughtful student recently asked in class, “Why don’t Calvinists care about missions?” I believe the charge is largely unfounded, so…

“We are in danger of rapidly losing what it means to feel compassion for those held in the grip of sin on this broken planet… But for Jesus, the very sight of those crushed beneath the boot of the Adversary was nothing short of gut-wrenching. He was compelled to do something about it!” Tom Elliff,…

Russian ice dancer Elena Ilinykh publicly crossed herself after her performance of “Swan Lake” with partner Nikita Katsalapov won the bronze medal. Two days earlier, Russian athlete Elena Nikitina publicly crossed herself before winning the bronze medal in the skeleton run. The gestures are evidence that the Orthodox Church is reviving in Russia, a country…

Let’s be honest. When churches talk about “reaching out across socioeconomic boundaries,” they are talking about middle class (and wealthier) people reaching out to poorer folks. You don’t see many rundown churches in economically depressed areas starting outreach programs for Volvo-driving soccer moms who live in housing developments with names like “The Pines at Oakbrooke…

The Supreme Court on Friday granted a group of Catholic nuns from Colorado a temporary exemption from President Obama’s controversial Affordable Care Act, or “Obamacare,” which requires employers to cover contraceptives in their employees’ health care plans. The Little Sisters of the Poor declared in writing “that they are non-profit organizations that hold themselves out…

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“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts above your thoughts.”